The present invention relates to a means for reducing the amount of hydrocarbon vapors produced during iron ore sintering operations. More particularly, it concerns a means of reducing or substantially eliminating the amount of undesirable hydrocarbon vapors formed during sintering operations by treating the mass being sintered with an effective amount of an oxidation catalyst.
Today, in the iron and steel industry iron-containing materials having a fine particle size are converted into a coarse agglomerated material by heating such particles in the presence of combustible carbonaceous materials. This technique is generally referred to as a "sintering" process. The raw or starting materials include iron containing particles and a source of combustible carbon. Fluxing agents and fuel-bearing materials, as well as hydrocarbons (present as undesirable contaminants) are included among these raw materials. In practice, all the materials are intimately mixed together before being distributed or placed on a moving grate or stand. Once on the grate, the combustibles are ignited as air is drawn through the top of the moving mass. Such ignition causes the fine particles to fuse (sinter) and form an agglomerated mass.
While the foregoing sintering technique is widely utilized, associated therewith are certain undesirable environmental problems. For example, the evolution of unburned hydrocarbon vapors from the sintering process generally can not be permitted to escape into the atmosphere. To prevent this, it is often necessary to use very complicated and rather expensive equipment.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an effective, economical means for reducing undesirable hydrocarbon emissions produced during the sintering of fine iron-containing particles to produce an agglomerated mass of coarse iron-containing particles.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification and claims.